Cummings transit hub in works
Bus stop, shuttle system possible for Bridge Street
Monday, August 15, 2005
Water taxis will ply the lakes in the planned $210 million World Famous Bridge Street retail/office/entertainment complex in Cummings Research Park.
A shuttle bus system may also be offered to help transport people to and within the business park.
The City Council last week authorized requests for bids for construction of an intermodal facility - a bus terminal/parking garage - in Cummings Research Park. Some $7 million in federal transit funds has been authorized for the project.
The transit proposal comes as Cummings continues to expand. Columbia High School is now open on the west edge of the research park, the sprawling Bridge Street retail project is under construction, and officials recently announced a $130 million biotechnology research institute expected to create 900 direct jobs and hundreds of spin-off jobs.
The resolution authorizing the bids for the transit station claim it will reduce current and projected traffic congestion within the park, reduce air pollution by providing an environmentally friendly commuting practice, and further improve the city's overall quality of life.
Joe Vallely, director of economic development for Huntsville, said the Bridge Street developers, O&S Holdings of Los Angeles, were instrumental in nabbing the grant money for the parking/intermodal structure.
"We're going to look at it and try to make a determination on ridership and whether a bus stop is needed," he said.
Vallely said the decision revolves around cost, demand and logistics.
The city is requiring that the intermodal/transit station:
- Be constructed in the commercial core of Cummings Research Park; namely where the sprawling Bridge Street development is planned.
- Provide capacity for motor, bus and other ground transportation including, but not limited to, a park-and-ride facility for motor vehicles.
- Use a bidder willing to provide private money to satisfy the required 20 percent matching funds requirement of the grant program.
Tommy Brown, director of Parking and Public Transit for Huntsville, said Friday an intermodal/transit facility in Cummings would be a nice asset for park tenants and Huntsville in general. Details have not been worked out on exactly where the transit facility would go and the extent of any city bus routes.
Officials say the money will mainly be used to build a parking garage that includes features for a transit station.
"It's going to be a parking garage with a bus stop connected with it," Brown said. "They may even have some internal (private bus service) circulation."
Officials say the city had to open the project up for bid since federal grants are involved.
"We're trying to fulfill the legal aspect of their federal funding," Vallely said.
Cummings is the second largest research park in the country, boasting 225 companies, more than 23,000 employees and 175 buildings on more than 3,800 acres.
The city's long-range transportation plan has for years recommended a stop at Cummings Research Park, Brown said. Other proposed stops for the city's bus routes include Huntsville International Airport, east Huntsville, an additional southwest Huntsville route, and a deep south route including the Ditto Landing Marina.
Repeated efforts to reach O&S officials, the developers of Bridge Street, were unsuccessful.
"What we hope is the (Bridge Street) project will generate a demand," Brown said. "Our response will depend on the amount of demand that's created.
"There's a lot of synergy going on out there (in Cummings). We'll just have to see where it all takes us."
© 2005 The Huntsville Times
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